Rock on, Goggle Boy!
by Neostar1
Summary: Two years after 02, Tk, Kari, and Davis meet Elle, a new girl. Tai, Sora, and Matt meet Tao, a strange boy with a bad temper. How does Tao know about Digimon and Genai? How does he know Elle? Can the two be trusted? CHAPTERS 3+4 ADDED!!!!!!!!
1. New Faces

Notes:

I don't own Digimon. Toei and Bandai do. What makes you think I do? I'm just an 12-year-old girl with a lot of time on her hands. So, please don't sue me, because all I have is $15.00 and a Calumon action figure.

Also, I didn't write this song, either. It was written by, "Our lady Peace," and _the song, (in blue)_ is entitled "Potato Girl."

This story takes place two years after 02.

Finally, for those of you that don't know, the word, "Sukura," means, "Cherry Blossom."

Rock on, Goggle Boy!

Part 1:

New faces

__

We live , we die

I don't know the reasons

we ask why

We hate , we push

Recent tests show we all are…

Misunderstood

Taichi Kamiya walked across the hallway, dreading class. It's not like he forgot his homework or something like that, he just hated school.

Finally, he reached his locker. He sighed, and entered the combination.

"TAI KAMIYA!"

Tai spun around, ready to say, "It wasn't me, sire, honest!" to the principle. Instead, he saw Yomato Ishida running toward him.

"Oh, hi Matt." Tai said casually. Suddenly, he found himself pinned to his locker, with Matt gripping him by the front of the shirt, staring at him with fire in his eyes.

"Whoa, what's your problem Matt?" Demanded Tai.

"My problem," Matt said slowly through gritted teeth, "Is YOU, Tai!"

"What did I do?" Asked a squirming Tai, trying to free himself from Matt's grip.

"Don't play dumb!" Matt yelled. "I saw you yesterday! In all of the classes the three of us had together, you were drooling all over Sora!"

"Hua? No I wasn't, you liar!"

"YES YOU WERE, I SAW YOU! Sora's my girl! If I ever catch you staring at my Sora again, you won't be eating solid food for a month!"

With a final piercing glare, Matt released Tai and ran off.

__

Something's seizing

You know you lost your mind

You know we all need saving

She found you late last night

You feel the madness growing

You know you just can't win

You know this

You know this

You know this

"Awe man!" Groaned Takeru Takaishi as the bell rang. "Mr. Tomoyo's gonna kill me! This is my third day of being late in a row!" He kept running as fast as he could, hoping to get to class ASAP. He turned a corner at full speed and….

WAM!

He slammed into a girl that was rounding the same corner. Pencils, Pens, and Notebooks bounced away in every direction.

"I'm really sorry!" said Tk as he got on his hands and Knees and started to pick up the girl's stuff.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I was walking on the wrong side of the hall." The girl said as she bent down to pick up her stuff as well.

"Either way, I…" Started Tk, but stopped when he saw the girl's face.

She was a girl about his age, with long, dark hair and Dark blue eyes. Her skin was smooth and flawless.

The girl looked up at him and smiled. "What were you saying?" She asked. Her voice was warm and soft, like slipping on a pair of flannel pajamas. Her smile was like a clear, perfect diamond.

Tk tried to remember, but he couldn't. "….It doesn't matter."

"My name's Elle. Elle Tenshi."

"My name's Takeru Takaishi, but everyone calls me Tk."

"Well," Said Elle, "I guess I'll see you later, Tk. It was nice meeting you." She said as she walked off.

__

But I'm just so tired of waking up on the

Ground

Tai gathered up his things and walked to class. Luckily, he had been early, so even after the whole ordeal with Matt, he was still on time.

As he walked through the door, Matt passed him and whispered, "Remember Tai, one glance and I'll…."

Tai pretended not to hear him and sat down. It figures that his seat was a right next to Sora!

"Hi, Tai!" She said with a smile.

"Hi, Sora." Tai said without looking up.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"Nothing." Grumbled Tai, still without looking up.

"Tai, I've known you since you were five. I know when something's wrong. NOW, WHAT'S WRONG?! AND FURTHERMORE, WHY WON'T YOU LOOK AT ME?!"

"I TOLD YOU, THERE'S NOTHING….!" But he was interrupted by the teacher.

"Now, Now, settle down everyone." She said. "I have some good news. Today, we're welcoming a new student. Please say hello to, Tao Yukito.

A tall boy walked into the room. His short, dark hair matched well with his cold, gray eyes. His expression suggested that he was plotting something evil.

He looked around the room, and his gaze fell on…TAI!

Hua?

No, wait, Tai was wrong. He was looking at Sora. He had to be.

Tai sighed with relief. _Well, maybe Matt can go threaten **him** for a while, _He thought.

"Hi." Tao said. His voice was like stepping into an icy shower, it was so cold and harsh.

"Well," The teacher said, "We need to find you a place to sit, don't we?" Hmmmm, you probably couldn't see behind Tai, so why don't we put you behind Sora? She's the one with the orange hair and…"

"I see her." Tao snapped. He walked around and sat behind Sora.

"Alright kids," Said the teacher. "Let's take that math test I promised." She paused, because everyone in the room except for Tao groaned. "Now, Tao," She continued. "You don't have to take the test, of course. But, if you want to…"

"I don't feel like taking the test." Tao growled.

Tai shrugged, and got to work. But he couldn't shake the feeling that Tao was staring at him the whole time, plotting something, well, _evil._

I never knew the girl

And I never knew the world hurt

Tk walked in to his classroom slowly, hoping that Mr. Tomoyo wouldn't notice him. Unfortunately, he did.

"Well well," he said. "It appears that Mr. Takaishi has decided to honor us with his presence."

Tk felt his ears turn red as Davis and some other boys snickered. He hurried to his seat and sat down.

"As I was saying," Said Mr. Tomoyo, "Today, we're welcoming a new student to our first period Language Arts class."

Tk looked up, hardly daring to believe it.

"I would like for you all to meet, Miss Elle Tenshi."

Elle walked in to the room, wearing a shy smile. But she positively beamed when she saw Tk.

Hikari nudged Tk in the ribs. "What's with that new girl?" She whispered. "It's like she knows you or something."

"Well…We…sort of met in the hall."

"HUA? W…oh, that's alright." Was Kari's response.

Tk shrugged, and turned back to Mr. Tomoyo.

"Let's see, we need to find you a place to sit…" He said, looking around.

Tk noticed that some other boys in the class had taken an interest in Elle, and were looking for empty seats next to them.

Tk wasn't going to miss this opportunity. He jumped on his chair and shouted, "THERE'S AN EMPTY SEAT BEHIND ME!"

Mr. Tomoyo was furious. "MR. TAKAISHI, TAKE YOUR SEAT!" He bellowed. Everyone in the class silenced. Tk shakily sat back down. 

Mr. Tomoyo was still shouting. "IF YOU CAN NOT ACT LIKE A CIVELIZED HUMAN BEING, YOU CAN GO WAIT IN THE HALL FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD!"

Tk didn't move. Everyone was staring at him. Elle was looking at him, but she smiled kindly at him, as if trying to tell him that she was on his side.

Tk cleared his throat. "Sorry." He said quietly. "It won't happen again, sir."

"See that it doesn't." Growled Mr. Tomoyo.

Davis spoke up. "Sir, if I may make a suggestion, there is an empty seat next to _me_."

Tk glared at him and gave him a look that said, _"Don't you dare ruin this for me, Davis…"_

Davis flashed him an evil looking smile, and then said, "I could probably be a good help to Elle, and I always pay attention to you, whereas Tn's eyes are constantly wandering around, so-"

Mr. Tomoyo cut in sharply. "Would you mind explaining to me how you know that 'Tn' isn't looking at me if you're eyes are_ always_ on me?"

Davis' face turned red.

"_And," _continued Mr. Tomoyo, "Would you like me to share with the rest of the class how many times I have had to speak with you about your constant daydreaming and your habit of staring at Miss Kamiya?"

Kari's face turned as red as Davis'.

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmm….No." Davis choked out.

"I thought so." Said Mr. Tomoyo. "Well, in that case, Miss Tenshi, you may take a seat behind Mr. Takaishi."

Tk smirked at Davis as Elle sat down behind him.

"Ok class, time for the spelling test. Please get out a pencil and a piece of paper." Announced Mr. Tomoyo.

Tk pulled out a piece of paper and began searching for a pencil. He flipped through his binder twice, and found nothing.

"Kari, can I…." Began Tk, but he felt someone poke him in the back. He turned around. It was Elle.

"Tk? Do you need a pencil?" She asked.

"Um, yea." Said Tk.

Elle smiled. "Here, you can use one of mine." She said as she handed Tk a pencil. It was a fresh, just-sharpened-but-not-used pencil, and it was forest green with a yellow stripe running down it on either side.

"Wow, thanks Elle." Said Tk.

"It's…" Began Elle, but a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Miss Tenshi!" Snapped Mr. Tomoyo. "Seeing as this is your first day, you do not have to take the test. But I would thank you not to distract Mr. Takaishi!"

Elle blushed and looked out the window until the test was over, ten minutes later.

Just then, the bell rang.

Mr. Tomoyo sighed. "Ok, class, see you on Monday." He said to his departing students.

Tk watched as Elle looked at her schedule, then at her map, and walked out the door.

Tk smiled. She was so pretty…But then, he looked at his hand. He forgot to give back her pencil!

"Elle! Elle!" Called Tk as he rushed out the door

She turned around. "Is something wrong, Tk?" She asked.

Tk caught his breath. "No, not really. You just forgot your pencil."

Elle smiled. "Oh, its alright, Tk. You can keep it." She said as she walked away.

__

We beg, we pray

But everything still happens anyway

Something's teasing

Your conscience can't decide

She stopped your will from caving

"Who wants to play soccer?" Koushirou Izumi asked Tai and their friends at recess that day.

"Sure, Izzy!" They all answered in unison.

It didn't take very long for the game to get pretty tense and fast-paced, because not only did Tai and Izzy's six friends want to play, but about 10 other kids decided to join in.

After a while, Tai's eye's began wander, and they soon rested on Sora. Tai watched with a smile as she jump-roped with a few other girls. _Oh Sora, _Tai sighed. _If only Matt wasn't so overprotective of you…. _He groaned when he thought of Matt. He wasn't even sure that Sora liked him back. 

__

Do you love me? Tai wondered. _If only I could tell you that I loved you. _He smiled dreamily. How he longed to stare into her shimmering, brown eyes…She would stare back into his black, onyx-colored eyes…How he longed to kiss her breathless….How he longed to hear her say, "I love you Taichi…"…..How he longed to….

"TAI!"

Hua?

UMPH!!

A strangled, choking noise managed to escape his throat as the soccer ball collided painfully with his stomach.

He collapsed on the ground, coughing and sputtering, trying to swallow some air.

Izzy let out a cry of surprise, and rushed over to help Tai.

_"Tai, are you alright?"_

Someone was helping him stand up, or at least trying to, but it wasn't Izzy.

It was Sora.

Izzy was helping Sora, and the boy who had kicked the ball, Stephen, was stuttering. "I-I didn't m-mean to hit y-you, Tai, I-I swear!"

"It's alright, Stephen." Tai managed to mutter. His stomach still hurt.

"Poor Tai!" Sora whimpered.

Deep down, Tai was pleased that Sora was paying so much attention to him, while most of the girls were watching Matt, who, at the moment, was giving a mini concert on the top of the jungle gym.

"Maybe you should sit down for the rest of recess." Sora suggested gently.

"Sora, I'm…" Tai tied to protest.

"Sora's right, Tai." Said Izzy.

After a few minutes of arguing, Tai _did_ sit down, but only after Izzy, Sora, and the rest of the gang agreed to meet at the park to play soccer at noon tomorrow.

After a few minutes, Tai was _really_ getting bored, and….

Hua?

Tai saw Tao walking across the school yard, muttering to himself. He was speaking so quietly, that Tai could only make out a few words:

"Elle….me.…..War….courage….Tassiemon….Emperor…."

__

Tassiemon? Wondered Tai, _That sounds like a…Digimon…Could Tao know about the Digimon? Could he be a Digidestined?_

"Hey, you…!" Said a new voice.

Tai turned…and groaned.

It was Matt.

But he wasn't talking to him, he was talking to….

Tao!

"Hey, you…!" Matt repeated.

This time, Tao heard him. "You rang?!" He sneered.

Matt walked over to him. "Yea." Matt snapped.

"What do you want?!" Tao asked angrily. He obviously didn't want to talk.

Matt cleared his throat. "You may already know me. I'm Yomato Ishida, the lead singer in the famous band, _The Teenage Wolves_."

"Yea." Tao said shortly.

"Well, I noticed that you seemed to have your eye on Sora Takenouchi. I…"

"_I wasn't looking at her!!!"_ Tao yelled so loudly that Matt jumped back in surprise.

"Lying won't get you anywhere." Matt said through gritted teeth. "I just wanted to let you know Sora's _my _girl, and I don't take kindly to people staring at my girl. Got it?"

"Yea." Tao said, turning back around. "I'll keep that in mind…"

Matt nodded, and went back to his franticly begging fan girls.

As soon as Matt was out of ear shot, Tao finished his sentence. _ "…If I ever have the horrible urge to stare at an orange dog stuck in a Girl's school uniform!"_

Tai resented that. _Sora's much prettier than that, _he thought.

With that, Tao started muttering to himself again. "Stupid….over…go….Genai….Hope…Elle…."

_Who on earth is Elle?!_ Thought Tai. _Did he just say, "Genai?" This is getting weirder and weirder._

Stranger still, Tao sat down, and started arranging a bunch of pebbles in a pattern. Tai couldn't see what it was from his angle, but he decided that when Tao left, he would check it out.

Finally, when the bell rang, Tao walked off, and Tai rushed over to where he was sitting to see what he had made.

Tai froze.

It was the crest of courage.

__

But left you paranoid

"…So she gave you her pencil? Hmmm, Tk, that sounds serious…."

It was science class, and Tk was talking to his friend, Jason. Jason had been Tk's best friend when he lived in Kawada, which was where he lived before he moved to Odaiba. Jason had moved to Odaiba about three months ago.

The cool thing about Jason was that almost everyone in their school thought that he should be a matchmaker when he grew up. He always knew the right things to say when it came to love, and if someone liked another person. He liked helping people into relationships. Of course, he never helped Davis get Kari to like him!

"So, Jason, do you think Elle likes me?" Tk asked eagerly.

Jason ran his fingers through his black hair. "Well, it would _appear_ so…"

"Great!" Tk said excitedly. "….Cause, well…Jason, I think I like her, too…"

Jason gave Tk an I-know look and said, "Is that why you keep writing her name all over your science book?"

Tk looked, and, sure enough, he had written, "Elle," "Elle Takaishi," "E. T. + T.T," and other things along that line.

Tk was surprised. "I…didn't know I was doing that…"

Jason gave Tk a strange look. "…What about Hikari?"

"Who?" It took Tk a minute to remember her. "Oh, her? What about her?"

Jason paused, and said, "….I thought you liked her."

Tk sighed. "…Well, I _did_…I'm not sure I do anymore…"

"Because….well, that's the only reason I never help Davis. I'll bet he thinks that _I _like her."

Tk smiled. "Well, I really do like Elle. Kari's….I guess….just my friend now…"

Jason shrugged. "Well, as long as you're happy, Tk…."

Tk smiled broadly. "Well…if she likes me…I'm going to ask her to the Sukura Festival!"

Jason looked horrified. "Tk, you can't!"

_"And why not?!" _

"Because you already…"

RING!

The bell rang, symbolizing the end of science.

"See you later, Jason!" Tk said as he gathered up his things and headed out the door.

"Tk, _wait! _Listen, you already…"

But Tk was in too much of a hurry to listen to Jason. Maybe, if he hurried, he could meet up with Elle!

When he got to the lunch room, he discovered that Elle was sitting with a bunch of the popular girls, and there wasn't any room for him (Mentally _and_ physically ^_~).

Sadly, he took a seat next to Kari, which would have excited him any other day.

Kari greeted him cheerfully. "Hi, Tk!"

"Hi, Kari." He said gloomily.

Kari didn't bother to ask what was wrong. "…So, what's new?" She asked hopefully.

Tk shrugged. "Nothing really…" He said as he looked over at Elle. He smiled dreamily at her. In his opinion, everything she did was cute. The way she laughed at the other girl's jokes. The way she smiled when _she_ told a joke. The way she said, "Thank you," when someone complimented her lavender shirt or dark blue shorts. He even thought the way she accidentally dropped a meatball in her lap was cute!

"Tk…?" Kari asked.

"Yea?" Said Tk, who snapped out of his trance at once.

"Are you alright…?"

"Hua? I'm fine, Kari."

"That's nice. So, have you seen the movie, _Godzilla meets Barbie_? "

"Yea!"

"I thought it was terrible! How 'bout you?"

"Terrible can't describe it! Those special effects are sooooooooo cheesy!"

Their conversation continued until the end of lunch, and when they were throwing away their trash, Tk broached the subject of the Sukura Festival to Kari.

"So, Kari, have you got a date for the Sukura Festival?"

Kari gave him a weird look. "…Of course I do. Why?"

Tk smiled. "I think I'm gonna ask Elle to go with me. I don't think she's been here long enough to-"

**__**

"WHAT?!!!"

Kari yelled so loudly that Tk fell backwards slightly. "Uh, Kari, what's wrong?"

"YOU-YOU…YOU JERK!" Kari screamed. By this time, almost everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them.

"KARI, WHAT'S WRONG?!" Tk yelled.

Boy, if looks could kill, Tk would be rotting away! Kari was glaring at him. "I CAN'T BELIVE YOU!"

By _that _time, _everyone_ was staring at them.

"KARI, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE…" But he stopped in mid-sentence when he suddenly figured out why Kari was so angry.

~*~*~*(Flashback)~* ~*~*

Tk walked around the school, looking for Kari. It was strange, because he wanted to find her, but was worried also. _What if someone already asked her?_ He thought to himself. _What if she doesn't want to go with me? _He tried to push this thought out of his head, but he couldn't.

Finally, he found her. She was at her locker, talking to her new friend, Melissa.

_It's now or never_. He thought. He approached the two girls, his palms sweaty. "Uh, Kari?" He choked out.

Kari looked up. "Oh, hi Tk!" She said.

Tk cringed, gathered his courage, and before he could chicken out, he said, "Kari, will you go to the Sukura festival with me?"

Kari smiled. "I was hoping you would ask me, Tk! I'd love to!"

"Great, see you later!" He said as he ran off, feeling so light that he could fly.

~*~*~*(End Flashback)~* ~*~*

Tk swallowed hard. "Kari, I can…"

UMPH!!

Tk didn't expect Kari to kick him in the stomach. When he stood back up, he didn't know what to do. _Smack her!_ Part of him yelled. _She deserves it! _On the other hand, half of him was saying, _Are you insane?! You can't hit a girl! That makes you a bully!_

Tk decided to just walk away. He couldn't hit a girl. Besides, Kari was his friend!

He was just about to leave, when he heard another boy snicker. "That is sooooo like Takeru! Just walk away! I bet he couldn't even beat a girl!"

Tk couldn't let the other boys tease him like that. He would never hear the end of it if he walked away. _Just hit her_ _once, _He thought. _I won't even hit her hard. Besides, she started it._

He brought his fist down on Kari's shoulder. She stumbled backwards a little, but regained her composure quickly, and socked him in the jaw.

The fight was on.

Tk didn't expect for Kari to hit him back, so he did the only thing his instincts told him to do: He punched her in the cheek.

The kids in the cafeteria had all formed a circle around them. Most of them were chanting, _"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"_ A bunch of boys were yelling, "That's it, Tk! Show her who's boss!" The girls were yelling, "Get 'em Kari! Show him the true meaning of _Girl Power_!"

Kari grabbed hold of a fist full of Tk's blonde hair, and _yanked_. Tk, who was in pain from Kari's hair pull, managed to hit Kari in the stomached, and she collapsed slightly. Then, Tk kicked her in the knees, so she fell over. Finally, he grabbed her by the front of the shirt, raised his fist over his head, and….

The two were instantly pulled apart by two teachers, and the both watched in horror as the principal stalked in, and he looked _mad._

You feel the constant straining

She reappears divine

You noticed

You noticed

You noticed

You noticed

"Hi, Mom!" Tai yelled he walked in to his apartment.

Mrs. Kamiya was talking on the phone when Tai walked in. "Can you give me a minute, Tai? I'm on the phone."

Tai nodded, and walked to his room. But he froze when he heard the conversation.

"Yes? Speaking. Oh, hello, Mr. Eriol."

__

Mr. Eriol? Thought Tai. _That's the principal of Kari's school! But what's he doing, talking to Mom?_

There was a long pause. "…Really? Well, she's never done that before. Are they both alright?"

__

Done what before?! Tai was getting restless. Also, he was worried. "_Are they both alright?" Who? Kari an who_?

"Well, I'm happy that they didn't get seriously hurt."

Tai suddenly felt a hot, flash of anger. _Who hurt Kari?! They had better hope I never find them! Nobody messes with my little sister!_

"Well, I will be giving her a firm talking-to when she gets home. I'm…Hua? Oh, yes, I would be happy to come and pick her up. Yes. Good-bye." Mrs. Kamiya said. Then, she hung up.

Not a moment too soon!

As soon as Mrs. Kamiya hung up the phone, Tai jumped before her.

__

"Mom, what's going on?! What happened to Kari? Who hurt her?" 

Tai's Mom sighed. "That is between Kari and myself. I need to go pick her up, so would you mind staying here? "

Tai shook his head.

"Good. Well, I'll be right back." She put on her shoes, and departed.

Have you ever noticed that there are almost as many types of silence as there are sounds? Tai was experiencing the silence of when you're the only one in the house.

He sat down nervously, trying to think of what to do. It's not like he was scared of being alone, he just didn't like listening to such loud silence.

It was usually times like this that he started doing strange and silly things. So, it was then he found himself absent-mindedly flipping through the dictionary. _I'm not worried or crazy…._He thought. _I just need to know how to spell a few words. _

The problem was, the more he thought about how quiet it was, the more it drove him insane. So, he started spelling the words out loud to try droning out the silence.

"F-r-i-e-n-d spells _friend_." He said loudly.

"F-i-g-h-t spells _fight_.

"R-a-g-e spells _rage_.

"B-l-o-o-d spells _blood_.

"S-u-s-p-e-n-d spells _suspend_.

"E-v-i-l spells _evil._

"M-a-d spells _mad._

Suddenly, the door opened. "Tai, I'm home!" Mrs. Kamiya called.

Kari walked into the kitchen. She was holding an icepack to her left cheek, and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

Tai looked at his sister sympathetically. "Kari, what happened?"

"Got into a fight at school…" Kari muttered.

Naturally, Tai was curious. "…With who?" He asked casually.

Mrs. Kamiya glared at him. "Tai, its up to your sister if she wants to talk to you about it. Now, run along! I would like to talk to her."

"Mom, I want Tai to stay." Kari said quietly.

Mrs. Kamiya was surprised. "….Well….Of course…He can stay if you want him to…"

Kari nodded.

Mrs. Kamiya looked over at the table seriously. "Let's sit down."

The three of them sat down. For about a minute no one said anything. It was Kari who broke the silence.

"IT WAS ALL THAT STUPID TAKERU'S FAULT!" She screamed. "HE AND THAT STUPID ELLE!"

She surprised Mrs. Kamiya, but not as much as Tai. He jumped to his feet.

"Hold the phone! Did you say _Elle_?"

Kari gave him an odd look. "…Yea. So?"

"Well…Uh…No reason." For some reason, Tai didn't think that this was the right time to tell her about Tao.

"Kari, please start over at the beginning. I don't exactly know what happened." Groaned Mrs. Kamiya.

Kari sat back down. "Ok." She said slowly. "We got this new student in our homeroom class today. Her name was Elle Tenshi."

Mrs. Kamiya nodded. "Go on."

"Ok, well, Tk was drooling all over her, and he was, like, barely talking to me.

"So, at lunch, he wanted to sit next to her, but she was at a table with Linda and her group." Linda and her group were a bunch of snobby, rich, popular girls. Even though she wasn't rich, Kari was once invited to join the group. Naturally, she refused.

Mrs. Kamiya nodded again.

"So, instead of sitting with his precious pet Elle," Kari paused to make a face. "He sat with me. After a few minutes, I got him to start talking, and we had a pleasant conversation.

"When we were throwing our trash away, he asked me if I had a date to the Sukura festival. I said yes, because I guessed he forgot he was taking me. And then he said he was taking that witch!

"Anyway, so I got mad, and kicked him in the stomach. He hit me on the shoulder, I socked him in the jaw, and then we fought. After like, 10 seconds, the principle and two other teachers pulled us apart. The end." Looking satisfied with herself, Kari leaned back.

Tai felt like she had told him nothing. Thinking about making a joke, he said, "So, who won the fight?"

Mrs. Kamiya scowled. "Taichi Kamiya, that isn't an appropriate question at…!"

Kari grinned. "He did. I was winning, but the dirty rat kicked me in the knee."

Mrs. Kamiya looked exasperated. "Kari, why don't you go wash your face? Tai…you…go do something…"

Tai shrugged, and as his sister departed to the bathroom, strolled in to the living room, and turned on the TV.

__

But I'm just so tired of waking up all

alone

Tk knew that there would be trouble when his mom came to pick him up. Actually, they didn't speak to each other until they got home, in which she broke the silence.

**__**

"FIGHTING IN SCHOOL, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY EXPELLED YOU! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!"

Tk scowled. "She started it…" He asserted.

**__**

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! THE POINT IS THAT YOU DID WHAT YOU KNEW WAS THE WRONG THING!"

"I'd rather do the wrong thing and hit a girl then do the right thing and be tormented by every boy in the school for the next two years." He muttered.

**__**

"DON'T TALK LIKE THAT! WHAT WOULD YOUR FATHER SAY?!!!"

This made Tk furious. "WELL, I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW, NOW WILL WE?!"

**__**

"DON'T TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJCET!"

"I'M NOT! I JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU THAT WE'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT DAD WOULD SAY, CONSIDERING THAT YOU TORE HIM AND MATT AWAY FROM ME WHEN I WAS FOUR!"

**__**

"ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT THIS IS MY FAULT???"

"All I'm going to say is this: I've had a lot of problems with girls lately, and I really don't need your advice, considering that _you_ couldn't hold a relationship together." Tk said coldly.

Miss Takaishi was shocked. That was the first time that Tk had acknowledged the fact that it was because of her that she and Tk's dad got divorced. _She_ was the one who kept complaining. _She_ was the one who started most of the fights. _She _was the one who demanded a divorce.

She was silent for a few moments, but then she spoke again very slowly. _"Go to your room."_

Tk felt a little guilty, reminding his mom about how she was the cause of his parent's divorce. "Mom, I…"

__

"Go to your room!"

"But…!"

**__**

"I SAID GO TO YOUR ROOM! AS LONG AS YOU LIVE IN THIS APARTMENT, YOU WILL FOLLOW MY RULES!

"MOM, LISTEN TO ME…!"

**__**

"NOW!"

"FINE!" Tk stalked in to his room, and slammed the door. Then, he opened it and slammed it again as hard as he could.

**__**

"DON'T SLAM DOORS!" His mom screamed through door.

**__**

"I'LL SLAM THEM IF I FEEL LIKE IT!" Tk yelled. He tore his hat off his head and threw it in the closet. Then, he threw himself on his bed, and, when he was sure nobody was looking, he cried until he fell asleep.

__

Something's seizing

You know you lost your mind

You know we all need saving

She found you late last night

You feel the madness growing

You know you just can't win

You know this

You know this

You know this

You know this…

Tai had a strange dream that night. He dreamt that he was standing on the side of a cliff, looking down towards the bottom. Instantly, he realized that he was in the Digital World. Wait…or was he? Something was different, but he couldn't quite place it.

Suddenly, he realized that he wasn't alone. There was a girl next to him, about Kari's age. Her long, dark hair flowed loosely around her shoulders. She was wearing a purple kimono, so dark it was almost black. Her beautiful face was twisted in to such an evil smile, it made Tai shiver.

"Who…who are you?" Tai asked.

Either she didn't hear him, or she wasn't listening. She did speak, but it wasn't an answer to his question. "Master…" She said. Her voice was warm and soft. "It is almost time. Tomorrow, it will begin."

Out of nowhere, a cold, icy voice replied, "..Are you sure? For your sake, it had better."

The girl shivered. "I am sure."

"Very well."

The girl looked out on to the horizon. "Well, are you ready to die?" She asked to no one in particular.

Tai gasped. "……_Me?" _He asked in barely a whisper.

She turned and looked straight into Tai's eyes. That same smile that made him shiver crossed her face. "Yes. You, Tai."

**__**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Tai wailed.

Immediately, Tai was sitting in his bed, the top bunk in his and Kari's room. He breathed a sigh of relief. _It was just a dream, _he told himself firmly. _Actually, it was a nightmare._

He laid back down. His heart was still pounding. Even though it was just a stupid dream, he couldn't help but wonder. "Who were those guys?" He asked out loud._ That girl…Why do I have a weird feeling that that's Elle?_

Tai slapped himself. "I'm being an idiot." He said, not bothering to keep his voice down. _But where have heard "Elle's" master's voice? It sounds so familiar…_

Then, it hit him like a ton of bricks…

__

But I'm just so tired of waking up on the

Ground

Tk woke up the next morning feeling hungry. He realized soon that it was because he hadn't had any dinner the night before. He tiptoed out of his room and poked his head out the door.

"Mom?" He called meekly.

There was no answer.

He almost slapped himself when he realized why. _Dua! _His Mom _always_ went to work early on Saturdays.

He groaned, and poured himself some cereal. As he chewed his _Tooty Fruties, _he couldn't help but think about the fight he had with his mom last night. He shuddered. _I hope Mom isn't still mad at me… _he thought.

After a while, he went to get the mail. He lifted the lid of the brass mail bin, and caught a whiff of something that smelled pretty darn sweet. _Wonder what that is…? _he thought.

He set the pile of mail on the table and began to sort through it.

"Bill, bill, catalogue, bill, coupon, bill, catalogue…_letter for me…?" _That was weird…he almost never got mail...

Yet, there it was. A powder pink envelope that said clearly on the front:

Tk

He shrugged. Suddenly, he realized that the letter was the source of that sweet smell. He had to read it. Hastily, he tore open the envelope and read the note:

Dear Tk,

Please, I beg of you, meet me by the old Sukura tree in the park at 11:00 AM today. I have to tell you something…

Something I couldn't tell you at school.

XOXOXOXO

Elle

Tk could hardly contain his joy. He looked up at the clock. It was 10:45.

**_"Hallelujah! I'm coming for you, baby!"_** Cried Tk happily. He made a mad dash to his room, got ready to leave, and sprinted toward the park.

__

We beg, we pray

But everything still happens anyway

Something's teasing

Your conscience can't decide

She stopped your will from caving

But left you paranoid

"Awe, C'mon Tai!" Kari egged on.

Tai stared at the phone in his hand. His palms were so sweaty, he was amazed the phone hadn't slipped out of his hand.

"She's probably still asleep…" Tai muttered.

"You'll never know until you call her." Reminded Kari.

"I'll bet Matt already asked her." Tai insisted.

"You'll never know until you call her." Repeated Kari.

Tai stared at the phone. "Kari…You don't know how hard this is…"

A wicked grin crossed Kari's face. "It's easy. All you have to do is…" She leaned over and pressed Sora's number on the speed dial. "…Press a button!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Tai screamed. "Please don't be there! Please don't be there! Please don't be there! Please don't be…"

Sora's voice on the other end answered. "Hello?"

Tai gasped. "Um, hi…"

"Tai? Is that you?" Sora giggled.

"Um, yea…"

"What's up?"

"Uh, I wanted to know if you would…um…"

"I would what?"

"Woujagododavestiavlwifme?"

"Pardon?"

"Would you go to the festival with me?"

"Of course! I would be happy to!"

"REALLY?!?! I mean…really? That's great!"

"Anything else you wanna tell me?"

"I don't think so."

"Good-bye, Tai!"

"Later, Sora!"

Tai hung up the phone, and turned to Kari.

"I knew she would say, yes." Tai said proudly.

Kari rolled her eyes.

__

I never knew the girl

And I never knew the world hurt

Well, never knew the girl

And I…

Tk made it to the old Sukura Tree in the park in about 10 minutes. He checked his watch. It was 11:00 (It took him five minutes to get ready).

_Perfect, _he thought. He skimmed the area for Elle. She wasn't there yet. _So, she's fashionably late, _he said as he grinned. Boy, just thinking about her made his heart throb. _I hope she gets here soon._

He looked at the Sukura tree. It's pink blossoms dazzled in the morning sunlight. This part of the park was almost deserted, so it was almost the best place to meet someone in private.

Suddenly, he saw her. She looked so different, it took him a second to recognize her. Her long, dark hair, which had been tied into a ponytail the day before, hung loosely over her shoulders. Her clothes were different, too. She was wearing a dark purple long sleeved shirt with black sleeves, and a pair of black shorts. She was standing on one of the high branches of the tree, staring in to space.

Nonetheless, Tk was overjoyed to see her. "Elle!" He called.

She looked down at him, and an evil looking smile crossed her face. Without warning, she jumped off the branch and landed right in front of him.

She surprised him because that branch was at least 10 feet off the ground, and she didn't so much as flinch. Either way, Tk had to talk to her. "Elle…You wanted to tell me something…?"

She flashed that same evil looking smile. "Oh, that. Yes, Tk, I _do _have something to say to you that I couldn't tell you at school."

Tk cleared his throat. "Elle, I have something to tell you, too."

"You go ahead." She said sweetly.

Tk nodded. "Elle, I think I…I think that I'm…"

"You're what?" For some reason, she sounded like she was getting impatient.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Elle…"

The smile and look that crossed her face was so evil, Tk stepped back.

"That's too bad, Tk." She said.

He felt as if someone had ripped out his heart and stomped on it with a pair of cleats. "It is…?" He whispered. He felt like crying.

"The thing is," Elle said. "What I have to tell you is…._I'm not really a human…."_

Tk felt his face turn white. He couldn't have heard her right. "What?" He choked out.

Elle continued. "I'm not really a human. Or Elle. For you see, I'm really…_ELLEMON!!"_

"YOU'RE A-A-A…._DIGIMON???!!" _Screamed Tk.

At once, Elle began to change. Her smooth, perfect skin turned tan and she sprouted a thin layer of fine fur. Ugly, bat like wings sprouted out of her back, as well as bat ears on her head. Her eyes became almond shaped and cat like, with black slits for pupils. She laughed. **_"AM I STILL YOUR PRECIOUS PET?!"_**

Tk screamed.

Without warning, she pounced on him, and sank her teeth in to his wrist.

**__**

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!" Tk screamed. In less than a second, he felt the pain roar through his body. He hit the ground, coughing and sputtering.

**__**

"Sayonara, Tk!" She screamed. Then, she vanished in to thin air.

Tk knew he was about to pass out. With every ounce of strength he had left, he typed an E-mail and Forwarded it to all of the other Digidestined:

Help.

I'm by the old Sukura Tree in the park. I was attacked by a Digimon. Save me.

Tk

Then, everything went black, and he passed out.

__

I never knew the girl

And I never knew the world hurt

Well, never knew the girl

And I…


	2. The Warrior

Notes:

Well, here's part 2. I trust that you have already read part 1. If you didn't, I suggest you do so, because you really won't understand anything.

All I'll tell you is that there is a little Takari, (Not much, only a couple sentences, but more than in Part 1) and a lot of Taiora.

There is quite a bit of Matt bashing in this part, but don't let it ruin the story.

The song is "Brave Heart," and it is the Japanese Digivolving theme.

****

I made up the song, "Strange Things." Don' t steal it! If you want to use it, then E-mail me and ask.

Part 2:

The Warrior

__

If given a second, anyone can give up and run   
So just keep on walking   
  
It had been 15 minutes. 15 minutes since they found Tk.

Five minutes since they brought their Digimon back from the Digital World. Four minutes since Tk woke up, barely breathing. 30 seconds since Tk managed to choke out the name of the Digimon that did this to him: _"Ellemon…"_

Patamon's eyes widened. "_Ellemon_? Did he say, _Ellemon_? Oh, no, this isn't good!" Said Patamon franticly.

"Yo, what's so bad about Ellemon?" Asked Tai.

Tentomon cleared his throat. "Ellemon is a legendary Ultimate Stage Digimon. She is so rare, that some people, like me, didn't believe she existed."

Gatomon nodded. "…Wasn't she in some weird legend or prophecy?"

"Yes! Bob, tell our contestant what she's won!"

Everyone turned in the direction of Izzy's computer. On the screen was a small, Digital picture of….

"Genai!" Exclaimed Izzy.

"Hello, everyone!" Said Genai. "It's been a long time!"

"Genai, was I really right about Ellemon?" Asked Gatomon.

Genai nodded. "Yes, here's a copy of the prophecy…"

Almost instantly, a new window opened on the screen. A picture of a stone slab with writing on it appeared. It said this message:

__

It the time of refrain from the warrior's battle, 

A new evil shall arise.

Bringing with him the evil known as Ellemon,

He will scheme to rule both worlds.

First, Ellemon shall steal the heart of the Keeper of hope,

Pulling him away from his true love.

When he is fully attached to her,

She will attack him with fury,

Leaving him to die.

The last hope is the warrior of courage.

Bringing with him only a Digivice,

He will embark on a quest to save both worlds.

If he succeeds, the Earth shall be safe for that time.

If he fails, all hope is lost,

And all Worlds will perish.

Yolei was the first one to speak. "So…What does this thing have to do with Tk?"

Tai had been thinking for a long time, and repeating the prophecy in his head. Suddenly…

**__**

"I KNOW!" Tai shouted happily.

Sora turned and grinned. "That's my Tai! What is it?"

Tai stole a glance at Matt, who was glaring at him. "Well," said Tai, "I think that the prophecy is coming true!"

"Exactly!" Yelled Genai happily.

"I don't…understand…." Jou said slowly.

"Yea, Tai." Sneered Matt. "If you're so smart, why don't you explain it!"

Tai narrowed his eyes at him. "I was about to. Anyway, it all makes since. See, _'In the time of refrain from the warrior's battle,'_ it's been two years since our battle with Malomyotismon. We haven't had to fight anyone since.

__

"'A new evil shall arise. Bringing with him the evil known as Ellemon, he will scheme to rule both worlds,' whoever sent Ellemon wants to rule both worlds.

" '_First, Ellemon shall steal the heart of the Keeper of hope,_' something tells me that Tk is the keeper of hope. I mean, he has the crest of hope, and Ellemon stole his heart. '_Pulling him away from his true love,' _he was in love with Kari, so Ellemon took him away. '_When he is fully attached to her, she will attack him with fury, leaving him to die,' _is that not exactly what she did?

The only part I don't understand is that bit about the Warrior of Courage. All I know is that he's supposed to fix everything."

Matt scowled. "Well, _I _knew that's what it meant. Tai just said it first."

Genai grinned. "Yes Tai, that's all correct. Are you _sure _you don't know who the Warrior of Courage is?"

Tai shrugged. "I'm sure…"

"Here's a clue:" Said Genai. "Tk would be the warrior of hope. Sora would be the warrior of love. Get it now?"

Tai gasped. "Me?"

Genai nodded. "You, Tai. The fate of all worlds are resting in your hands."

Tai was shocked. Everyone was staring at him.

Matt looked horrified. "TAI _CAN'T _BE THE WARRIOR!" He screeched.

Genai frowned. "…Why not?"

"Be-Be-Because Tai's stupid! He couldn't save a mouse from a cat! He'd get lost! Give up! Fail! Anything!

"Tk's _my_ Brother! _I'm_ everything Tai isn't! I should be the Warrior!"

"Yea, you're everything Tai isn't. Including a jerk!" Snapped Kari.

Genai frowned. "Matt, I am positive that Tai is the warrior. You must have some faith."

Tai felt like slugging Matt in the teeth. He didn't, however, because he wanted to look like a real warrior. "I accept my duty. I will do whatever I have to do to save Tk and every world out there." He said.

Genai smiled again. "That's the spirit, Tai! I'm sorry, but it is necessary that you leave ASAP."

Tai nodded. "…Can I pack things to take along, like, food, or something?"

Genai shook his head. "No. The only thing you can take with you is your Digivice."

"…Ok."

"You must leave within 30 minutes. This will give you time to put on clean clothes, have a snack, ect."

"Alright."

The Digidestined let Tai out of the group, and went along their business. Of course, they were just pretending to be fine.

Inside, they were screaming.

Tai went around, had a snack, put on clean clothes, polished his Digivice, and said his good-byes. Finally, the only people he had left to say goodbye to were Sora, Kari, and Matt.

As he approached Sora, he realized that she looked forlorn. Well, actually, expressionless.

"Um, hi…" He said.

Sora looked up at him. "…When are you leaving?"

"…Few minutes…"

"Oh…."

"Well…Goodbye…."

Suddenly, Sora glomped him (N/A: For those of you who don't know, "glomp" is an anime term for throwing your arms around someone in a giant bear hug, usually long enough to make them irritated). "Oh, Tai!" She cried.

"Sora…!" Muttered Tai. He was 100% delighted to have Sora glomp him, but he couldn't be sure that Matt wasn't watching…

Sora ignored his "protest," and whimpered. "Tai, please! You have got to defeat Ellemon and her master!"

"Sure…Sora…" God, she was beautiful!

"Tai, you're the last hope! If you fail…." Her voice trailed off.

"Hey, momantai!" Tai said with a grin.

Sora looked at him curiously. "…What does that mean?"

"It means 'relax.' Sora, you have to have faith!"

"…Ok, Tai….Heaven knows I have faith in you…" With an extra-tight squeeze, Sora released him.

Tai left Sora before he said something stupid (Ex: "Sora, I love you!") and went over to Matt, who was sulking.

When Matt saw Tai, he grunted.

"Uh, hi Matt." Said Tai, keeping his distance.

"What do you want?" Growled Matt.

"Nothing…" Tai said.

"Then beat it, Goggle-Brain." Matt muttered darkly, turning his head in another direction.

"Fine!" Tai snapped. "All I wanted was to say, 'goodbye!'" With that, he stomped off.

Finally, he came to Kari. She was staring at Tk, and muttering to herself. "Oh…Takeru...I…was mad at you…but not…I never…Oh, Takeru!"

He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll save him. I promise…"

She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. "Tai...I love him!"

Tai smiled gently. "Kari…I know!"

"….You do?"

"Yes. It's been obvious since you guys were kids…"

"Tai…Please…"

"Ok, I will."

It was time it leave. Tai picked up his Digivice, and walked toward the computer. Genai was waiting for him.

"Ready?"

Tai swallowed hard. "Ready."

Genai nodded. "Tai, there is something you should know. You are _not _going to the Digital World."

"….Hua? I'm _not? _But…" Tai stammered.

Genai cleared his throat. "You are going to a world, parallel to the Digital World. The Dark Emperor…"

"Who…?" Asked Izzy.

"The Dark Emperor. He is the Master of Ellemon, and a fallen Digi-Spirit. He has stationed himself there, so it would not be easy to locate him.

"The Parallel World is actually called, 'Earth 99.'"

"Are there Digimon?" Asked Tai.

"Yes. As many as in the Digital World. However, there are many things different in The New Earth. Some are so small, you barely notice them. Some things are so huge, you'd have to be deaf, dum, and blind not to notice them."

Tai nodded. "Well, I'm ready."

"Alright." Genai said as the computer glowed a bright white.

Tai looked back at all of the faces of the Digidestined and their partners (n/a: _You_ do the math to figure out how many that is. I refuse to waste my time by doing it. If you do, remember not to count Tai, Tk, and Mimi). "Good bye." He said with a smile. Then, he turned back to Genai.

"Let's go."

Tai had barely finished speaking the words, when the computer flashed, and he was gone.

__

There's something only you can do   
So that this blue planet doesn't lose it's light

"On top of Spaghetti,

All covered in blood…

I shot my poor teacher…

With a .44 slug!"

Ellemon Turned around.

"I went to her funeral,

I went to her grave…

Some people threw flowers…

I lobbed a grenade!"

She grinned.

"I went to her coffin,

She wasn't quite dead…

I got my bazooka….

__

And shot off her head!"

Ellemon sang the Chorus:

__

"Shooooot off her heeeeeead!"

When she was done, she applauded. "Ooh, master, I love that song!"

The Dark Emperor smiled evilly. "Yea. I do, too. Ellemon, you know something?"

"What?" She asked.

"You're pretty easy to please."

She grinned again.

"Frankly, I think you like anything that has to do with killing, slaughtering, or maiming. Oh, and Black! You like black."

"Yes. As usual, you're right." She swung her legs over the side of the cliff right in front of their base. Ellemon had shifted back in to her human form, though instead of the outfit she wore to "meet" Tk, she had changed in to a dark purple kimono. 

The Dark Emperor wrinkled his nose. "You know, I'm growing impatient. I'm-"

Ellemon interrupted him. "Master, it's alright! He's coming! I can feel it! I've got…_vibes_…"

"Ok…But need I remind you what will happen if you have failed?"

She shuddered. "No. I know." She closed her eyes, and began to meditate.

The Dark Emperor looked over the cliff, at the new Earth. "Soon…It will all be mine…" He whispered.

Ellemon's eyes shot open. She had felt something strange…

The Dark Emperor seemed to have senesced that she was bothered by something. "What is it?" He asked.

She looked up at him. "Master…I feel…something…"

"Like what?"

"Well…The Keeper of Hope…he has a brother…The Keeper of Friendship…"

"So?"

"Well…his heart…is not pure…"

"Of course! He's a human! What's your point?!"

"Well…I read his thoughts…He's…going to…"

**__**

"He's going to _what?!"_

"Try to defeat you, Master!"

"Hua?"

"It seems that he wants this girl to like him…So he's going to try to defeat you…"

The Dark Emperor grinned evilly. "Oh, that shouldn't be to too hard to take care of. If he's not the Warrior, It shouldn't be a problem."

Ellemon looked up at him, and mimicked his evil grin. "Ooh, can I kill this one, too?"

"Ellemon, let's not get greedy, hmmm? You already got to kill hope. Now you want friendship, too?"

"But _Master! _I didn't really kill him! I just sort of put him in a comma…"

"Yes, but he _will _die. At least when I kill the Warrior of Courage. Then, he won't defeat you, and your venom will live on."

"_Please? _Oh, you get the Warrior of Courage! No fair! HE'S probably worth nine or 10 people!"

"Ellemon, don't argue with me…" He warned.

Ellemon stopped. She knew it was pointless (maybe even dangerous) to argue with him.

He cleared his throat. "Oh, alright. You can have him."

"Thankies!!!" ^_______^

As he walked away, he grinned, and whispered. "C'mon, warrior, make my day…."

__

Seize the dreams you had!   
Protect your beloved friends!   
You can become stronger   
Unknown power dwells in your heart, when its fire is lit   
Any wish, it's true   
Will surely be granted...show me your brave heart

"YAAAAAAAAAAAA…! UPMF…Ohhhhhh…." Escaped Tai's throat as he hit the ground.

He blinked his eyes a few times, then sat up.

"So…This is Earth 99…"

He stood up, brushed himself off, then started walking. He had no idea where he was going, or which way to go, but it sort of came as an instinct.

His plan was to walk until he met a Digimon, then he would ask if they knew where the Dark Emperor and/or Ellemon were hiding.

He hated how quiet it was, so he just started thinking out loud. "I wonder if I'll meet up with that Digimon Tao was talking about…What was its name? Tessiemon? Tackymon? Tassiemon? YEA! That was it! Tassiemon."

He hadn't traveled far when he heard a muffled voice from behind a patch of bushes:

"Oh…Oh no…Man…_That_ won't work…Ok, let's try…_OUCH!_ Looks like that doesn't work, either…"

Tai's curiosity got the best of him. He walked over to the bush, took a deep breath, and looked on the other side.

__

Seize the bright tomorrow!   
Protect the ones you love!   
You can become stronger   
Break that weak self!   
Destroy the walls blocking you!   
The warm beat of your heart will be your weapon   
Believe in your heart 

Sora leaned against the wall and bit her lip. _Taichi…_She thought. _Please…Come back alive…_

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her. She turned around.

It was Matt.

She sighed. She knew for a fact that he liked her, but she never liked him more than a friend.

But there he was. Walking toward her, with a happy grin on his face.

She looked at the floor, and groaned. _Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away…_She thought.

She should have known better. He kept walking toward her, and then leaned against the wall with her.

"Hi." He said cheerfully.

"Hi." She said hallowly.

"So…" Matt said slowly. "Do you think Tai'll succeed? I don't. I mean, he's got super forces on him, and he's…"

"Tai _will _succeed!" She snapped angrily.

He shrugged. "Sora, I know he's a friend of yours, but _you need to face the facts._ There's like, a 1 in 1,000,000 chance he'll make it."

"…Then there's still a chance." She said simply.

He groaned. "Ok, whatever. I see that there's no point in talking to you."

She nodded.

He grinned again. "Sora, ever since I met you that one summer at camp, I've known that there was something _special _between us."

"What?" She said sarcastically. "A mile?"

He blinked his eyes. Then, he started laughing. "Oh, I get it. You're kidding."

Sora rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, Sora, you know how good I am at singing?"

She nodded. "I guess…"

"Well, to describe my feelings about you, I wrote a song."

"Matt!"

"Just, listen, my Sukura blossom."

"Sukura blossom? _What? _Matt, I…Oh, alright. If you took the time to write a song for me, I might as well listen…"

His eyes were shining with happiness. "Don't worry, Sora, you won't regret it. Ahem:

Strange things

I sometimes have a strange dream, Sora my dear,

I'm sitting on a cloud, holding you near

You're sitting in my lap, purring like a cat

And then you say, "I love you, Matt."

Strange things are afoot, far and near,

Strange things are afoot, isn't it clear?

But I have an idea, my angelic dove,

That this strange thing: is love.

Sora, please, you must believe me:

Love is something that can drive you crazy.

Since I met you, it's been tagging along,

While I eat, while I sleep, while I sing this song!

Strange things are afoot, far and near,

Strange things are afoot, isn't it clear?

But I have an idea, my angelic dove,

That this strange thing: is love.

Why must you must you play hard-to-get?

You and I both knew it, the day we both met.

I am rock-star, my dear, 

I can give you anything, isn't this clear?

Money, diamonds, jewelry you name it!

All I want you to do _is say it…_

Tell me you love me, of course

And then, _it will all be yours…_

Strange things are afoot, far and near,

Strange things are afoot, isn't it clear?

But I have an idea, my angelic dove,

That this strange thing: is love.

__

Sora listened to the song carefully. Then, she sang back to him:

In your life, I know I play a big part,

They say I should follow my mind, instead of my heart!

But Matt, I'm so sorry, but I love another

I'll give you a clue: He's Kari's brother!

Matt, I'll admit, your handsome and cool,

You're even a living legend at the school!

Most people think you're cut out above the rest!

But in my heart, I know Tai's the best!

When Sora was done singing, neither spoke for a long time.

Finally, Matt broke the silence. "So, you like Tai, not me?"

She nodded.

"How can you possibly choose him over me?"

She shrugged.

"It just doesn't make sense."

"We can't always control the way we feel."

He turned. "…I understand."

She sighed with relief. "I'm glad you do. We can always be friends."

"Thanks, Sora. Since I plan on killing myself, I won't be needing any friends, but thanks for the offer."

"Matt! Don't be silly!"

"No, really. I'll just go home and hang myself. Then, you won't have Mr. Pain-in-the-butt getting in the way of you and your precious Taichi."

"Matt!" She could feel the tears spring up in her eyes.

"Well, have a good life, Sora." He said as walked away.

As he was walking, he had a strange idea.

If it worked…

Quietly, he walked over to the computer.

The gate to Earth 99 was still open.

He took a deep breath, and then held up his digivice.

There was a flash, and he was gone.

__

There's no map of how to live, that's why we're free   
You can go anywhere. 

_  
_Tai was a little surprised when he looked behind the bushes.

He had expected a something a bit more fierce, but the Digimon was far from fierce. In fact, it was pretty cute. It resembled a fox mostly, but it had pale blue fur and a mermaid tail. Its eyes were a pale shade of sea green, and a bright blue jewel hung right in the middle of its throat.

He could see the reason it was groaning was because its foot was tangled up with a vine in a pretty hanus (N/A: I LOVE THAT WORD!) knot.

This whole thing was making it pretty irritated, because as soon as it saw him, it growled, "Scram, or I'll put your head in a cast." Tai could tell from the voice it was a girl.

Tai approached her carefully. "I'm not gonna hurt you…" He coaxed.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, how original." She said sarcastically. Then, she started tugging on the vine again.

"You're just making the knot worse." Tai pointed out. "Do you want me to help you?"

"Yea, right. Like I want help from human. Look, why don't you leave? I mean, I don't need your-" She tugged at the vine, looked at it, then turned to Tai. "You know, why don't you help me? You're here and all…" Her voice trailed off.

Tai laughed, sat down next to her, and started on that knot. In a few minutes, she was free.

She wiggled her leg, and then stretched her whole body. "Ahhhhhh…" She sighed. Then, she turned to Tai and then cleared her throat. "You'll have to excuse my rude behavior. It's just…I haven't had very good experience with humans, you know? That dark Digimon Emperor is one bad dude."

Tai smiled. "It's alright."

"Ok." She looked relieved. "Have I introduced myself?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, I'm Tassiemon."

"What? You're Tassiemon?!"

"Yup, that's my name." She said proudly. "I'm a rookie-level marine fox Digimon. I'm usually sweet and friendly, but on a bad day, I'll send you out with the tide!"

"You're Tassiemon…" Tai muttered.

"YES! FOR THE LAST TIME…!"

"No, it's just…I heard someone talking about you."

She grinned. "Oh, I'm flattered."

Tai shrugged. "Anyway, my name's Taichi Kamiya, but everyone calls me 'Tai'. Tassiemon, do you know where I can find the Dark Digimon Emperor and Ellemon are? I don't really have a lot of time…"

"Yea, I know." She sighed unhappily. "Tai, I wouldn't go after him. I mean, he'd squash you in to oblivion. And Ellemon…" She shuddered.

It was Tai's turn to sigh. "I really don't wanna do it. But one of my friends is counting on me. Tassiemon, I really have to find this guy."

"Ok then. Follow me." She said reluctantly.

The two walked off.

__

Run faster than the wind!   
Aim farther than the skies!   
You can meet a new you   
Unknown courage sleeps in your heart, and when you realize   
The downpour in your heart will surely stop...

show me your brave heart

Sora's tears were so hot, they were almost burning her face. As soon as she wiped them off, more came.

__

I hate Matt! She thought furiously. _He's a sore loser! Just because I don't love him, he goes off to kill himself!_

She didn't really know whether he was serious or not, but she was too mad to care.

"Hey, Sora…" Someone started.

Sora looked up.

It was Yolei. "Sora, do you know where Matt is?"

"At home, killing himself…" She muttered.

"What?"

"I said, 'I don't know.'"

"Oh. Well, if you see him, can you tell him I want to talk to him?"

"Sure."

Yolei walked away, muttering to herself. "Sometimes…feel like…care at all…He could at least…me."

Sora sighed. "Oh, Tai…Why didn't I tell you before you left that I…"

"WHAT THE…GUYS, COME HERE, QUICK!" Yolei screamed from the other room.

And come they did.

"Yolei…what's this…all…about?" Izzy had run from all of the way across the apartment, so he was speaking between gasps.

Yolei looked horrified. "L-l-look a-a-a-at the g-g-g-gate!" She stammered.

Cody looked. "Yea, the gate that Tai used is still open. So?"

"Look at the time it was last used!" She insisted.

"Four minutes ago. _Yolei, what is wrong with you? You scared us all to death!" _Snapped Davis.

**__**

"TAI LEFT ALMOST 10 MINUTES AGO! SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES TAI HAS USED THE GATE! SOMEONE ELSE IS IN EARTH 99, YOU IDIOTS!"

Everyone counted to see who was still there.

__

Matt was gone.

No one spoke.

"No." Sora said firmly. "Matt DID NOT go. He went home."

Izzy sat down in front of the computer. He typed furiously for a few minutes, and then turned to the rest of the group.

"Well, I used the tracer function. In a few seconds, we'll know exactly whose been here.

Everyone watched silently for about 5 seconds. Then, a name flashed across the computer screen:

Ishida Yomato

__

It's all my fault…thought Sora. Then, she felt her knees grow weak, and she passed out.

__

Seize the bright tomorrow!   
Protect the ones you love!   
You can become stronger   
Break that weak self!   
Destroy the walls blocking you!   
The warm beat of your heart will be your weapon   
Believe in your heart 

"Don't move a muscle, or you'll end up looking like Swiss cheese."

Tai had heard the voice, and stopped. _Oh my God…_ He thought. _That's either the Dark emperor or Ellemon…They've come to kill me…AND SORA DOESN'T KNOW I LOVE HER!_

While Tai was lost in his thoughts, Tassiemon ventured to turn around. Then, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Coyotemon, you've really gotta stop sneaking around like that."

A growl.

"Don't growl at me!" She hissed.

"I'm not growlin' at you, Tassie! Is that guy next to you your friend or not?" Said Coyotemon. His voice had a heavy Texas accent (Like Armadillomon).

"Hua? You mean Tai? Yea, he's ok." Tassiemon said.

Tai figured that Coyotemon wasn't going to hurt him if he knew he was Tassiemon's friend. Tai turned around to get a good look at him.

As he guessed (n/a: Any you probably did), Coyotemon looked like a pretty much like coyote. Except that Coyotemon's fur was dark purple, and he had red bands around his ankles and neck. Below his neck band, there were a row of triangles circling his neck. On his face, he wore a silver mask with holes for his nose, red ears, and his glowing blue eyes.

Coyotemon raised his fur up, but didn't growl.

"Oh, knock it off!" Snapped Tassiemon. "Tai's fine! He saved me from a trap! He's gonna go stop the Dark Digimon Emperor!"

Coyotemon let his fur go down. "Really? That would be heaven."

Tassiemon nodded.

Then, he grinned. "Hey, Tassie, I was sneaking around for a reason. I thought Tai worked for the Emperor, and you were his prisoner. I was gonna save you, ya know?" He walked over to her and nuzzled her affectionately.

Tai bit back a groan of frustration. Couldn't they tell he was in a hurry?!

He was saved. Just then, Tassiemon said, "Coyotemon, Tai and have really gotta get going."

Coyotemon shook his head. "I'm going with you, Tassie. Y'all need all the help Either way is fine with me."

"Then that settles it." Coyotemon said firmly. "Let's go."

As they walked, Tassiemon muttered something that sounded like, _"Men…"_

If given a second, anyone can give up and run   
So just keep on walking 

"Mmmmmm…?" Sora murmured as she woke up. She blinked her eyes, and then everything came in to focus.

Joe stared. "Wow. I've never seen _you _faint before, Sora."

Sora rubbed her head. "What happened?"

"Ya fainted." Said Yolei plainly.

"Tell me the truth." Sora said plainly. "Is Matt in Earth 99?"

Kari nodded.

Sora groaned, and laid back down. Apparently, someone had carried her to the couch.

"You must have faith, Sora." Reminded Biyomon.

Sora nodded, but deep in her heart, she knew that she would need a bit more than faith…

__

There's something only you can do   
So that this blue planet doesn't lose it's light

"Why'd you stop, Tai?" Asked Tassiemon.

"I…thought I heard something." He answered. This was true. He could have sworn that he heard footsteps behind them. He was sure that they weren't Coyotemon's or Tassiemon's, either.

Tai started walking again. Then, he heard it again. He stopped. They stopped. He started. They started. He stopped. They Stopped. Someone was following him.

"What's going-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence. Suddenly, someone leapt out in front of them, blocking his path. Someone wearing a green suit. With blue eyes. And spiky blonde hair…

"MATT!" Exclaimed Tai.

Tassiemon looked at Matt with a strange expression. "Tai, whose that?" She asked.

"The name's Matt, Fox-girl!" Snapped Matt.

"Matt, what are you doing here?" Tai asked.

Matt laughed hollowly. "That can be explained in two words, Taichi."

"…And…What are they?" Asked Tai.

"Guess." Matt said flatly.

"Hmmmmm…Mortal Combat?"

"No."

"Team work?"

"That's one word."

"Oh."

Coyotemon sneezed.

"Bless you." Said Tassiemon

"Stay out of this, Fox-Girl." Warned Matt.

She pointed to Coyotemon. "He sneezed."

"What did I just say?" Sneered Matt.

"But that's why I said, 'Bless you.'"

"Oh."

Tai was still thinking. "Famous heroes?" He guessed.

"No."

"I'm sorry?"

"That's ok. I didn't think you would get it."

"That was a guess."

"That was four words."

"…Never mind."

"No, that's not it."

"Shut up?"

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"But…Oh…"

"Not only is that gibberish, but that's not the answer." 

"This stinks…"

"Wrong."

"ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

"…That's one word."

"I GIVE UP!"

"Three words."

"NO, _I GIVE UP_!"

"Can you not count?! That's four words!"

"ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

"You already guessed that!"

"Um, Dude," Coyotemon interjected. "I think he wants to know the answer…"

"Oh. Well, in that case, the answer is…_True Love…_"

Tai was surprised. "…Hua?"

Matt started Pacing. "It's simple. Sora likes you."

"SHE DOES?!" Tai was amazed.

"BUT…She's my girl. Haven't we discussed this before?"

"…Yea." Tai said slowly.

"Don't you see the problem?"

"Not really…"

"What?"

"Yes. Sora likes me, but she's your girl."

"_Why_ does she like you?"

Tai shrugged.

Matt answered himself. "Because you're the hero. The Warrior. The one who will save us all."

"Well…That might be _one _of the reasons…I'm sure she-"

Matt stopped pacing. "Would she love you if you didn't save us?"

"Yes."

"No." Matt said narrowing his eyes. "She wouldn't. Now, let's say _I _saved us all. Who Sora love?"

"…I'm confused…"

"ME. She would love me. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yes…"

"So, in other words, I'm taking over. We can do this the hard way, or the easy way."

"…You're crazy…"

`"So, the hard way, hua?"

"…This is so corny…"

BAM! Tai barely had time to finish his sentence when Matt tackled him. Tai threw him off.

_"Matt, do you even care about Tk?" _Tai snapped.

For a moment, Matt seemed stumped. Then, he snapped, "That's the stupidest question I've ever heard! I won't even dignify that with an answer!"

Tai rolled his eyes.

Then, Matt tackled him again, and socked him in the jaw. Tai could taste blood in his mouth. He kicked Matt in the stomach, causing Matt to grunt and clutch his middle.

"You'll pay for that one, Taichi…" Matt snarled.

"I don't want to hurt you, Matt! But I will if I have to!"

Matt charged again, but Tai moved out of the way and tripped Matt, who went flying.

Tai sighed. As often as Matt had been a pain-in-the-butt, he was still his friend.

When Matt got up, Tai could see that there was blood trickling about of the corner of his mouth. He stalked toward Tai, baring his teeth.

Suddenly, Tassiemon stood between them. She narrowed her eyes at Matt. "Look, Buddy…" She hissed. "I _still _don't know exactly who the Hell you are. But I know one thing. I'm not going to let you stop Tai. I've heard about the Prophesy, and I'm pretty sure that Tai is the Warrior of Courage. I'm willing to fight you myself…"

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of this, Fox-Girl?!" Snapped Matt.

_"Quit calling her 'Fox-Girl'…"_

Everyone turned. Coyotemon had been quiet this entire time, but it seemed that he wasn't going to stay that way.

Matt wrinkled up his nose. "What did you say…?"

Coyotemon narrowed his eyes. "I said, 'Quit Calling her, 'Fox-girl.'' She's got a name, you know. It's Tassiemon."

Matt smirked. "Are you willing to make me?"

Coyotemon's fur prickled up. "Probably."

Matt laughed hollowly. "Look, I'll deal with you two when I'm done with Tai. Now, shut up, and…" Suddenly, he passed out.

Tai was standing behind him, his hand still raised to where Matt's shoulder met his neck. He had a silly grin on his face. "I can't believe that worked…"

"What did you do?" Asked Tassiemon.

"'Sleeper hold.' Works every time…" Tai giggled.

Coyotemon studied Matt carefully. Then, he looked up at Tai. "Tai, we might want to get going…I'm not sure when he'll wake up, and when he does, he'll be madder than a librarian at a rock concert."

Tai nodded. "Let's go."

The three walked off quietly, leaving Matt behind.

__

Seize the dreams you had!   
Protect your beloved friends!   
You can become stronger   
Unknown power dwells in your heart, when its fire is lit   
Any wish, it's true   
Will surely be granted...show me your brave heart

When you've been bitten by Ellemon, time doesn't exist.

You can't hear what people on the outside are saying.

You're in your own little World.

Memories play back and fourth, in no particular order.

You dream about things.

You can hear things.

But that's pretty much it.

_Will I live…Or be this way forever…? _Thought Tk.

No one answered.

__

Not every day is sunny,

so sometimes,   
Even though a cold rain is falling, 

just open your umbrella

"We're here."

Tai looked up and studied the mountain carefully. At first, he tried to figure out how to climb up the mountain, but then he noticed a doorway, and a flight of stairs.

Tassiemon sighed. "Well, Tai, this is as far as Coyotemon and I go. You're on your own now."

Tai nodded sadly, and looked at the two Digimon. He sighed. "I guess so. Thanks for the help. Good-bye…"

"Good-bye, Tai." The Digimon said in unison. "Good luck…"

Tai blinked his eyes, and then started up the stairs. He was afraid that if he looked back, he would chicken-out.

The flight of stairs were narrow and winding, and Tai thought that they would never end.

Finally, he reached the top. He hadn't been walking long when he met up with a forlorn looking girl tied to a pillar.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…I thought you were the Dark Emperor.

Tai looked at her. "Who are you?" He asked.

She sighed unhappily. "I've been a slave to the Dark Emperor for as long as I can remember. My name is Elle."

_Elle? Where have I heard that name before? _Tai thought.

"Will you please free me?" She begged.

Well, any enemy of the Dark Emperor was a friend of his. He bent down. Suddenly, he jerked himself back.

Elle looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

Tai laughed sarcastically. "Exactly what are you trying to pull here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do…_ELLEMON!"_

Ellemon bared her teeth, which had already started turning into fangs. In less than five seconds, she had changed into her true form.

"Very good indeed…" She chuckled. "But tell me, Warrior, what do you plan on doing?" She bared her fangs again.

Crap. Tai hadn't thought of anything.

Ellemon pounced. Tai dogged just in time.

_How am I supposed to beat her if I don't have any Digimon?_ Tai thought franticly. He dodged Ellemon again, and she crashed into the wall. She made a dent, and some debris fell off of the ceiling.

Tai looked up. The ceiling was covered with jagged stalagmites.

A plan began to form up in his mind…

He turned to Ellemon, who looked ready to pounce. "Yo, ugly! Is something wrong with you?" He called.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you call me?"

"I called you ugly! That's what you are, you know! How could someone stand to be you human partner?!"

"Watch it, boy…"

"Do us all a favor and put a bag over your head! I think I'm about to pass out!"

"One more word out of you…"

"Oh, I'm so incredibly scared! By-the-by, what's wrong with your aim?! You couldn't hit the side of a barn!"

Her eyes turned red with fury. Tai placed his back against the wall.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Ellemon?! Come and get me!"

Ellemon charged. Tai waited. 3…2…1…Then, he ducked.

**__**

BAM!

With an ear-splitting Bam, Ellemon slammed in to the wall. She shook her head a few times, then blinked. "You're dead meat, boy! As soon as I-"

CRASH! 

A stalagmite crashed to the floor, missing Ellemon by a hair.

CRASH! CRASH!

Two more. Ellemon dodged franticly.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

This time, there was a direct hit in the back. She screamed in pain.

CRASH! CRASH!

She didn't have a chance. Two more, and she dissolved.

__

There's no map of how to live, that's why we're free   
You can go anywhere.

The darkness faded. Tk sat up. He felt as strong as an ox.

He looked around. The first one he saw was Kari, who was kneeling by his side. He could tell that she was crying. She hadn't seen that he had woken up.

He smiled gently. He leaned over, and started stroking her face. "Why are you crying, Angel of Light?" He asked.

She looked up, and gawked. "TK! You're safe! I thought that you…I didn't think you would…I thought you might…"

He didn't let her finish her sentence. He leaned over further, and kissed her.

__

Run faster than the wind!   
Aim farther than the skies!   
You can meet a new you   
Unknown courage sleeps in your heart, and when you realize   
The downpour in your heart will surely stop...

show me your brave heart

Tai braced himself. While the first stalagmite had fallen, he had run to the other end of the hallway. Now, he could only hope that the others didn't hit him.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

Finally, it was over. Cautiously, he made started walking again. Eventually, he mad it to another door. He took a deep breath, and walked inside.

It was a large chamber. There was a table, a chair, some food, and a stone throne with someone sitting in it.

It was the Dark Emperor.

He looked down at Tai. "I've been expecting you, Tai."

The Dark Emperor's clothes looked exactly like Ken's old Digimon Emperor suit, but the colors were inverted. Also, he had a sword by his side.

Suddenly, a thought struck Tai. "How did you know my name?" He asked.

The Dark Emperor chuckled. "I've been watching you, Tai. You know me."

Tai frowned. "Your kidding, right? I have no I idea who you are!"

The Dark Emperor took of his glasses.

Tai gasped.

It was Tao.

__

Seize the bright tomorrow!   
Protect the ones you love!   
You can become stronger   
Break that weak self!   
Destroy the walls blocking you!   
The warm beat of your heart will be your weapon   
Believe in your heart 


	3. The Last Battle

Notes:

This chapter is pretty short compared to the others (10 pages versus 26 or 28 pages), but I think it's the most exiting.

It switches between Tai and Sora's P.O.V. a lot, so make sure you know whose saying what.

The song is, "Beat hit," and it is the Japanese DNA Digivolving theme.

__

Part 3:

The Last Battle

__

Now, the future is on the line   
Two powers collide   
There's no time left   
To waver   


"YOU!" Exclaimed Tai.

"Me." Tao answered calmly.

"BUT-BUT…That's impossible!" Stammered Tai.

"Why?" Asked Tao.

Tai didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Is Ellemon your partner Digimon?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Really." Tao sounded irritated.

"Then who is?"

"I don't have partner Digimon."

"Is your Digimon dead?"

"What is this, 20 questions?!" Snarled Tao. "I don't have a Digimon! I never have, and I never will!"

"…But I thought all Digidestined had Partner Digimon!" Ok, now Tai was confused.

"Did I ever say I was a Digidestined?" Now, Tao was _really_ irritated.

"Well…No…But…You control Digimon…and you're a human…"

"DON'T INSULT ME!" Tao roared.

"…Hua?" _Jeez, I'm lost…_Tai thought.

"I'M NOT A HUMAN!"

"You're not…?" Stammered Tai.

"No, you moron! I'm a Digi-spirit! And a powerful one at that! So, watch it!"

Tai looked up at him, then shook his head. "Tao, you're totally mental. You're not a Digi-spirit. You're a human boy named 'Tao Yukito.'"

Tao sounded disgusted. "I only used that as a cover-up, Smart One."

Tai looked up at him. "…You're really Digi-spirit, aren't you."

"Gee, what gave you that idea? Either way, I'm going to kill you now."

"Why?" Tai asked simply.

Tao shrugged. "You're gonna mess-up my plans. I can't let that happen. Also, it's fun…"

Tai nodded. Actually, he really didn't give a crap about why Tao wanted to kill him. He was buying time.

Suddenly, a fireball roared a couple inches to the left of his face. He gulped. Then, he ran.

Tao groaned. "They always want to do it the hard way…" He murmured.

Tai hid behind the table. _ZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT!!! _Another fireball just barely missed him.

The only thing Tai could hear was his head pounding. _I gotta THINK! _He thought. _How can I defeat him? I've gotta find his weakness!_

_ZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT!!! _This time, the fireball singed part of his shirt. Tai ran again.

__

Tao saw him, and sent another one his way. _ZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT!!! _This time, it missed completely.

_Why did he miss? _Thought Tai._ Wait a minute…I'm faster than he is! The only reason he's hitting me is because I'm staying still for too long!_

That's right, long ago   
Noon and night were divided   
Surely, that's why this battle   
Still continues  


_Tai…I know you can win…_Sora thought. _I believe in you…_

Standin' by your side!   
Who will you stand with?   
You've got to decide with your own hand   
Stand up to the fight!   
Two powers   
Until someday the time comes   
When we will understand each other

Tai swallowed hard. _3…2…1…GO! _Suddenly, he jumped out from his hiding place. Tao noticed him, and hurled two fireballs. _ZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT!!! ZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT!!!_

Tai was faster. The first one missed by a few inches, and the second one missed by a lot more.

__

If there's hindering you   
That seems wrong   
So, will you run?   
Or will you stand and fight?

_Don't give up…_

I don't know which is right   
But if you give up, then everything   
Will slip from your hands

"YAAAAAAAA!!" Tai roared as he pounced on Tao. Tao crashed to the ground. Tai didn't have a plan. He didn't need one. He just started hitting Tao in the head.

**_"Enough!" _**Tao roared. He threw Tai off of him, and then stood up. He was shaking with fury. He pulled out his sword.

__

Standin' by your side!   
1000 years ago   
We were fighting   
Stand up to the fight!   
For the future   
So that 1000 years later   
We could laugh together   


"TAI!"

__

Standin' by your side!   
Who will you stand with?   
You've got to decide with your own hand   
Stand up to the fight!   
Two powers   
Until someday the time comes   
When we will understand each other

Tao had a sword. Tai didn't.

That was bad news.

The only reason Tao was so slow before was because throwing fireballs drains a lot of energy.

Tai gulped. He needed a miracle.

_Sora._

He couldn't let himself be killed. She needed him. He needed her.

_Faith._

He had it.

He looked up at Tao, who was grinning evilly.

"I'm not afraid of you." Tai said coldly.

"Yea, right." Sneered Tao.

"Everyone's counting on me." Tai said firmly. "It's up to me to stop you."

__

Standin' by your side!   
1000 years ago   
We were fighting   
Stand up to the fight!   
For the future   
So that 1000 years later   
We could laugh together

Be brave, Tai…Believe in your heart…

Now, the future is on the line   
Two powers collide   
There's no time left   
To waver   


"I'm going to beat you, Tao. And I'm going to live."

The second the words left Tai's mouth, he could feel something inside of him.

Tao gawked at him.

Tai looked down at himself, and gasped. An orange crest of Courage glowed where his heart was.

Then, Tai could feel light shooting out of his Digivice. He looked at it, and it changed shape. It no longer looked like his old Digivice. It looked more like the handle of a sword, with a screen and buttons. It seemed to be made of orange gold, but it was feather light.

_Is it really a sword?_

That's right, long ago   
Noon and night were divided   
Surely, that's why this battle   
Still continues   


_Your heart is your weapon…Use it…_

There is light and shadow, in your heart and in the world   
It's an endless battle   
That tests you

Tai gripped his Digivice. As if on command, a blade made of blue light shot out of the end.

Tao laughed. "Well, let's just see how well you can use that, boy…" He charged.

Tai charged, too.

Standin' by your side!   
Who will you stand with?   
You've got to decide with your own hand   
Stand up to the fight!   
Two powers   
Until someday the time comes   
When we will understand each other

_I will always believe in you…_

If there's hindering you   
That seems wrong   
So, will you run?   
Or will you stand and fight?

He could hear the sound of his sword slicing in to something besides Tao's sword.

He could see things rushing past him.

Then, he was where Tao used to be, and Tao was where Tai used to be. They weren't facing each other.

Tai turned.

He saw Tao kneel. Then stumble. There was blood flowing out of a wound in his stomach.

Tao touched the wound. He looked at the blood on his fingers. Then, he turned to Tai.

"You've won, boy…" He said, with a hint of surprise. Then, he dissolved.

It was over.

__

I don't know which is right   
But if you give up, then everything   
Will slip from your hands

Sora looked up at everyone. She had been in a trance for the past few minutes.

She smiled. "It's over…"

Standin' by your side!   
1000 years ago   
We were fighting   
Stand up to the fight!   
For the future   
So that 1000 years later   
We could laugh together 

Tai hardly dared to believe it._  
It's over._

Then, he started walking. Out of the room. Down the hallway. Down the stairs. Out of the mountain.

"TAI!" Tassiemon cried happily.

Coyotemon grinned. "Dude! We thought you were dead!"

Tai nodded. "Yea. I did, too."

Tassiemon looked at him. "Tell me the truth." She said slowly. "Is the Dark Emperor dead?"

Tai nodded.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then, Coyotemon whooped so loudly it shook the trees, and Tassiemon fainted.

__

Standin' by your side!   
Who will you stand with?   
You've got to decide with your own hand   
Stand up to the fight!   
Two powers   
Until someday the time comes   
When we will understand each other

"Are you…Sure?" Kari asked cautiously.

Sora nodded. "I don't know how I know, but I do. And…" She paused for emphasis. "Tai is safe. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Everyone cheered.

Sora smiled. _I knew you could do it…_

Standin' by your side!   
1000 years ago   
We were fighting   
Stand up to the fight!   
For the future   
So that 1000 years later   
We could laugh together

"What do ya know…He hasn't woken up yet." Commented Coyotemon.

Matt hadn't budged an inch. In fact, he was still out cold.

Tassiemon looked at Matt, and grinned. Suddenly, she frowned.

"Tai…" She asked. "Was that TV here when we were here last…?"

Tai looked. There was a TV for getting to and from the Digital World right behind Matt.

Tai cocked his head at a quizzical angle. "No…I don't think so…" Tai walked over to it. As soon as he got near it, the Digi-port got ready. _Must be my Digivice…_He thought.

Then, he gave Matt a shake. "Wake up! Time to go home!" He called.

Matt opened his eyes, and then blinked a few times. "What happened?" He asked sleepily.

"Err…Nothing…You came to take over, but then you decided that you had better take a nap." Tai lied. "Well, it's time to go."

"Oh…Ok…" Matt muttered. Then, he stood up.

Tai turned to the giggling Digimon. "Well, I guess that this is goodbye…" He said.

"Yea…I guess so…" Said Coyotemon.

"If you're ever in Earth 99 again, look us up!" Piped Tassiemon.

Tai nodded. Then, he and Matt held up their Digivices. There was a flash of white light.

_I'm going home…_Tai thought. And so he was.


	4. Epilogue: The Sukura festival

Notes:

This is the shortest chapter in the fic.

In this chapter, it goes back to switching between Tai and Tk.

There's Takari, Taiora, and Junato here.

The song is, "Pressing on" by Reliant K 

The Song, "I Can See You Now" was written by John R. Erickson and can be found in Hank the Cowdog #14, Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business

Epilogue:

The Sukura festival

_I think we're going somewhere.   
We're on to something good here.   
Out of mind, out of state.   
Trying to keep my head on straight._

  
Tai walked down the path nervously. It had been a week since he had fought Tao and Ellemon. Now, he faced an even scarier task: Taking Sora to the Sukura Festival.

Finally, he made it to her house. He swallowed, and knocked on the door.

In about ten seconds, Sora answered the door. She grinned. "Shall we?" She asked.

Tai nearly had a heart attack when he saw how beautiful she looked. She was wearing a red kimono with a white sash. He hair was tied into a Ponytail, with a jade, flower barrette..

Tai swallowed again. "Yea…Let's go."

She giggled, and they started walking.

He put his arm around her. He was actually kind of embarrassed, because Sora was wearing a kimono, whereas he was wearing was a white shirt, jeans, and a Denim jacket.

_Oh well…_He thought. _She doesn't mind._

I think we're going somewhere.   
We're on to something good here.   
There's only one thing left to do.   
Drop all I have and go with you.   


Tk was nervous. He wasn't sure if Kari had completely forgiven him about the whole mess with Ellemon and Tao last week.

He climbed up the stairs to the Kamiya apartment, rang the bell, and waited. A few seconds later, Kari opened the door.

"Hi Tk…" She giggled. Then, she called, "I'm leaving!" To her parents, and walked out the door.

She looked great. She was wearing a pink Kimono with a red sash. Her hair was curled at the bottom, and instead of wearing her usual barrette, she had tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Wow…You look great…" He breathed. Then, he added, "…As usual." So she couldn't be offended.

She giggled again. "Let's go."

The two departed.

__

Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.   
My problems feel out of the back of my mind.   
We're going and I'm never knowing 

(never knowing)

Where we're going.   
To go back where I was would just be wrong.   
I'm pressing on.

"Bulls eye!" Tai shouted happily, as he shot the 10th Indian of the shelf.

The man who owned the booth whistled. "Nice, kid. Perfect score. Here's your prize." He handed Tai a stuffed Dog, which Tai immediately handed to Sora.

"I won it for _you_." He explained.

Sora blushed. "Tai! You didn't have to do that!"

Tai grinned. "I know."

Sora was just about to comment when something caught her eye. "Tai! Look! _It's Matt!"_

HUA?

Tai looked. There he was. Strutting around with another girl.

JUN MOTOMIYA?!

Tai stared. "How weird…"

Sora giggled. "Let's go do something else, Tai."

__

Pressing on, all my distress is going, going gone.

(pressing on, pressing on)   
And I won't sit back, and take this anymore.   
'Cause I'm done with that, I've got one foot out the door.   
And to go back where I was would just be wrong.   
I'm pressing on.   


Kari hugged the pink, stuffed cat Tk had just won for her. "Thanks, Tk." She said happily.

Tk smiled. _How do you ask a girl if she's still mad at you without her blowing up at you? _He wondered.

Kari gasped. "Tk, look!" She cried.

Tk turned around.

_DAVIS WAS WITH THE CAPTAIN OF THE CHEERLEADING SQUAD!_

Tk turned back to her. "Who'da thought?" He asked.

Kari shrugged happily. "C'mon, Tk! Let's do something else!"

__

I think we're going somewhere.   
We're onto something good here.   
Out of mind, out of state.   
Trying to keep my head on straight.   


"How about, 'Children of Courage and love'?" Tai asked.They were having a calligrapher write a slogan for them, but they hadn't figured out what they wanted it to say.

Sora shrugged. "…If we can't think of anything better…How about, 'Courageous Love'? "

Tai shook his head. Then, an idea hit him. "True love takes courage'?"

Sora looked exited. "Yes!" Then, the two walked over to the booth.

It came out beautifully. Sora happily looked at the paper. "If we get married, we can frame this and put it in our room."

That took Tai by surprise. _If we get married…?_

He sighed.

"Are you ok?" She asked anxiously.

Tai looked up at her. "Sora, let's get away from here. You know, take a break from the crowd?"

She giggled. "Where would we go?"

He pointed his left. "The beach."

"Ok. Let's go."

The two walked off.

__

I think we're going somewhere.   
We're on to something good here.   
Adversity, we get around it.   
Searched for joy, in you I found it.

"Um, Kari…" Tk said Timidly.

"Yes, Tk?" Answered Kari.

"Err…Are you…"

"Am I what?"

"…Still mad about Elle?"

Kari gave him a weird look. "Hua?"

"You know…Ellemon, and how I liked her? Are you still mad about that."

She laughed. "Tk, I stopped being mad at you when she bit you."

Tk let out a sigh of relief. Now, he could relax!

__

Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.   
My problems feel out of the back of my mind.   
We're going and I'm never knowing

(never knowing) 

where we're going.   
To go back where I was would just be wrong.   
I'm pressing on.

Running along the beach was one of the most memorable things that ever happened to Tai.

He and Sora kicked off their shoes and ran along the coastline, just enough to get their feet wet.

Then, a big wave came, and they got soaked. They got a kick out of that.

Tai ran up to Sora, and picked her up. She latched her arms around his neck. Of course, Tai lost his balance, and they toppled over. But it was worth it.

Eventually, they got tired of that, and they sat on the beach's rock wall, staring at the waves.

"Hey, Sora…" Started Tai.

"Yea?" Sora answered.

"Do you love me?"

There was a pause, and then, "Yes."

"Well, guess what?"

"What?"

"I love you, too."

Sora grinned. "Great."

"I wrote a song for you."

"Really?"

"Yea. Do you wanna hear it?"

Sora turned to face him. "Sure. Matt wrote me a song, too, but I bet I'll like your song better."

"Ok, here I go:

****

I Can See You Now

I can see you now, just the way you were when daylight found you.

I can see you know, with the morning's golden glory around you.

I can see the wind's soft fingers running through your hair,

The amber light reflecting in you eyes.

I can see the fields of flowers like a rainbow.

Splashed across the Earth and stretching to the skies.

I can see you now, just the way you were when evening found you.

I can see you now, with the purple shadows falling all around you.

I can see the wind's cool finger's running through your hair.

And the evening stars reflecting in your eyes.

I can see the bright colors fading all around you,

As the night's blue veil is drawn across the skies.

I can see you now, just the way you were when darkness found you.

I can see you now, but the memory starts to fade as night surrounds you.

I can hear you calling to me in the darkness,

I hear the words but don't know what they mean.

I can see the stars in your eyes like burning embers,

But just before dawn, I wake and it's dream.

I can see you now.

I can see you now.

I can see you now."

Sora stared at him. "That was beautiful…" She whispered.

Tai shrugged. "I'm glad you like it."

He could barely contain his excitement. He placed his arm around her, and they looked to the east, where the sun would begin a better weekend than the last.

__

Pressing on, all my distress is going, going gone.

(pressing on, pressing on)   
And I won't sit back, and take this anymore.   
"Cause I'm done with that, I've got one foot out the door.   
And to go back where I was would just be wrong.   
I'm pressing on.   
  
To go back where I was would just be wrong.   
I'm pressing on.   
Pressing on, all my distress is going, going gone.

(pressing on, pressing on)   


And I won't sit back, and take this anymore.   
'Cause I'm done with that, I've got one foot out the door.   
And to go back where I was would just be wrong.   
I'm pressing on.   
  
You look down on me, but you don't look down on me at all.   
You smile and laugh, and I feel the love you have for me.   
I think we're going somewhere.   
We're on to something good here, and we're gonna make it after all.

The End


End file.
